The IPL 2021 continued on the unprecedented success of IPL 2020, which got shifted into the UAE after multiple times of postponement. Despite the two lucrative seasons having only a four-month gap, the tournament’s viewership did not stagnate or come down and instead kept magnifying. Star India Network revealed to have clocked 323 million total impressions for the inaugural match of IPL 2021.
Since bagging the media rights for the marquee T20 league, Star and Disney India have invested heavily in the same, resulting in the competition’s growth year after year. It has taken the most popular sporting occasion in the country to unparalleled heights as nearly every one-third of TV-owning household in India watched the opening game live.
The opening match between the Royal Challengers Bangalore and defending champions Mumbai Indians received an impressive response, seeing an increase of 42 per cent than the one in 2019. It also lived up to its billing as a comparatively low-scoring game between the two sides went down to the wire. The Royal Challengers scored the winning run on the final ball to earn the victory.
We are confident that the viewers’ interest will continue to grow as IPL 2021 progresses:
A spokesperson of Star India Network expressed their delightedness with the fans’ response as 9.7 billion consumption showed how eagerly fans anticipated for the season to come. The broadcasting corporation wishes to deliver an immersive experience for the fans confined to their homes as they expect the viewership to grow as the competition progresses. It also requested the fans to stay at home as much as possible to keep themselves safe from COVID-19.
“We are delighted with fans’ response to VIVO IPL 2021. Almost 10 billion minutes (9.7) of consumption for the opening match of the tournament shows how eagerly anticipated the season was, despite just a four-month gap between the two seasons. We are confident that the viewers’ interest will continue to grow as the tournament progresses. We are committed to delivering an immersive experience that takes fans confined at home closer to action. We also urge everyone to stay home as much as possible during such difficult times,” a spokesperson said as quoted by ANI.
